Types of shed roof:

The pent roof shed

This type of shed has the simplest roof form. Its single slope is suited to buildings
that sit against a fence or wall. The roof is a simple beam spanning between the front and
back walls. The roof pitch is governed by the choice of roof covering materials and any planning
restraints. The span of the roof is limited by the strength of the timber roof joists, for longer
spans a mono-pitch truss could be used.

Gable roof shed

The roof of a gable shed is a simple duo-pitch roof truss. Storage can be achieved in the roof,
or headroom can be increased by raising the bottom chord of the truss to form a raised collar truss.
The angle of the shed roof can vary widely from a typical 20 degrees on mass-produced sheds to 70
degrees on a high-pitched gable roof shed. (When a roof slope exceeds 70 degrees the British Standard
defines it has a wall !).

Hip roof sheds

Sheds with hip roofs are similar to gable roof sheds but the end-wall slopes in so that all
four faces of the roof slope towards the ridge. Hip roof framing is more complex than gable roofs
due to the compound mitres where the jack rafters meet the hip rafters. A hip roof shed has a visual
advantage in that the sloping ends reduce the bulk of the roof, thus improving its appearance.
The sloping ends do however reduce the potential for storing stuff in the roof. This style of shed
roof is commonly used for pool house sheds and summerhouses where roof storage is not often an
important criteria.

Gambrel roof sheds

The Gambrel roof construction achieved prominence in
Dutch Colonial Architecture. Structures with Gambrel barn roofs allowed animals and equipment
to be stored downstairs with a hayloft upstairs. Constructing a short span Gambrel roof truss
for a shed is not the most efficient use of timber, however there is a big advantage in the
amount of internal headroom available.

Salt box roof shed

The salt box roof shed originated as a fisherman's shed
and was designed for its simplicity and strength to resist the wind coming in from the sea.
This shed roof design is not symmetrical, one of the eaves is a lot lower than the other.
The design is an extension of the gable roof with one side of the roof forming a 'lean-to'
extension or 'cat-slide' roof.

After making the high-level conceptual shed roof design, the direction for detailed design is set.